Mike’s Blog Round-up

This article is part of The D. C. Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox. Even as Democrats on Monday gave President Joe Biden the warmest appreciation of his five-decade career and celebrated his decision to forego re-nomination, the sepia-hued nostalgia betrayed the not-so-subtle gnashing of the party’s rank-and-file.

“In the criminal justice system, people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime, and district attorneys who prosecute offenders.” It’s the opening line for long-running TV drama Law & Order, but on Monday night at primetime, it wasn’t heard on the police procedural but at the Democratic National Convention. “This is the story of Donald Trump,” the narrator continued, accompanied by a similar soundtrack to the show it was parodying. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Democratic Convention airs new ad calling out Trump for being a convicted criminal pic.twitter.com/oriTz6wDQn— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 20, 2024 The DNC, which kicked off on Monday in Chicago, and the Kamala Harris campaign have embraced themes once perceived to be the domain of the Republican Party, from law and order to freedom and patriotism.

President Joe Biden gives the closing remarks on the first night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

CHICAGO — Dozens of protesters broke through a security fence near the site of the Democratic National Convention on its opening day Monday as thousands took to the streets to voice their opposition to the war in Gaza. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Families with babies in strollers, students, elected leaders and others holding signs and flags joined the march to the United Center, where the convention is being held, to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

I recently met Sara Purdum during zoom thingy and she was very cool and funny. When she mentioned her love of stand-up comedy I immediately wanted to post some of her act and she sent us this clip. Here's a little about her. Sarah Purdum is a stand-up comedian based in Los Angeles, originally from Columbus, OH.

WASHINGTON — U. S. intelligence officials said Monday they were confident that Iran was responsible for the hack of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, casting the cyber intrusion as part of a brazen and broader effort by Tehran to interfere in American politics and potentially shape the outcome of the election. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The assessment from the FBI and other federal agencies was the first time the U.